[Bob Zelin]

the Japanese companies do not want standard def to exist anymore. That is also why there are no more Beta VTR’s being made -even though we all use them. JVC also anounced that this is the end of their CRT line.
They all blame it on ROHS, but we all know that they just want to sell new HD gear.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

In my opinion, the Sony LMD-232WS is one of the worst LCD monitors manufacturered. The resolution of the monitor is lower than that of a current Sony consumer monitor (why is that Sony ? ). It has no ability to show a true HD resolution – it scales the image. For this money, products like the Panasonic BT-LH2600W have become dramatically more popular. One thing I particularly hate about the LMD series is the fact that it has a single input on the rear. You may see buttons on it’s control panel for composite/component – but it shares the BNC connectors for this application.

There are many many alternatives to this monitor. The Panasonic BT-LH series is teriffice becuase it handles interlaced standard def video very well, as well as doing a great job on HD signals.

However, if you are looking to save yourself some money, get a nice 23″ Apple Cinema display, and a Blackmagic HD Link, and you will get full HD resolution (1920×1200) of your image – an image dramatically better than the Sony Luma series. OR, you can get the new Dell 2407WFP (now on sale at Dell for $719 US), which not only takes in DVI (to be used with the HD Link), but it also has analog component inputs, that also will show a full HD resolution – not scaled like the Luma. The Dell is a “best value” product. Unfortunately, HP has discontinued the L2335 monitor which also had analog component inputs, but if you don’t mind getting the Blackmagic HD Link, the new HP L2465 works great too. Please keep in mind that NONE of these computer LCD monitors look good with Standard Def video – they do work, but they don’t look as good as the Panasonic BY-LH series. They all do look spectacular for HD applications, at both 720p and 1080i (and HDV applications).

SO, if you are still saying “yea, but I really wanted to buy a Sony” – I have 2 suggestions for you.
1) buy a Sony SDM-P234b 23″ computer LCD montior and use the Blackmagic HD-Link with it. It works very well (but not as bright as the Apple Cinema)
2) go to your local stereo/TV store, and buy a Sony Bravia TV monitor which will do an excellent job of displaying an HD signal.

AND, if you are saying “but how come Sony promotes the LDM-232WS as a professional broadcast monitor?”. I don’t know the answer to this question, but the people in charge of this division have shamed the long standing Sony monitor division, who have been known for the past 20 years as making the best monitors in the world. They should all be fired, forced to work in the Sony loading docks, or cleaning toilets.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

I feel your pain. The AVID Meridian card set is VERY SENSITIVE to absolutely everything, and almost anything causes a conflict with it. You do not see these problems with new AVID Xpres Pro or AVID Adrenaline systems that do not use the Meridian card set.

The posts that you have seen refer to the HP xw8000 and xw8200, which (in an AVID Adreanline and AVID Xpress Pro/Mojo) use SLOT 3 with an ADS Pyro 1394 card – but there are no other cards in the system (the Mojo and Adrenaline use the Firewire 400 port). You stick a ADS Pyro in Slot 3, plug in your Firewire, and away you go.

NOT WITH MERIDIAN CARD SET.

I also extensively use SATA drives on new AVID and FCP systems. I have found that these work wonderfully with Xpress Pro and Adrenaline, but ALMOST NEVER do they work with the Meridian card set. If you pull out the ATTO card and substitute a SATA host card, the Media Composer application will not even launch.

In newer configurations, I have found that the OLD IBM Intellistation works with a SATA host card (the Firmtek 4 port) and the Meridian cardset, but that exact same configuration DOES NOT WORK with the “later” Compaq w8000.

BOTTOM LINE – forget it. Time to sell off your Meridan (I know it works fine), and get a newer system, that will run just fine with your FW and SATA drives.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

Tim –
as a wedding shooter, you should be proud of the excellent equipment that you own, and you are a standard that other wedding and event photographers should follow. There is no excuse for people in your business to use crap equipment.

You are a pro, and you have great gear to back it up.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

If you are getting 148mb/sec (that’s slow for a HUGE array !) – it’s just fine for DVCProHD. The other guys are probably right. Open the Expansion Slot Utility, and make sure that you are not in a x1 slot. Slot 3 is very safe for the Kona LHe card.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

if we don’t keep this thread going, the AJA I/O forum will be empty !
bob

[Bob Zelin]

Hi Sean –
you said that you get “good play with the control panel”, but are getting stuttering playback from the SDI output. PLEASE tell me EXACTLY what drive storage array you are using to record this HD signal, and what resolution you are working at. Becuase if you are recording a HD-SDI 1080i uncompressed signal, and have
a Firewire drive – it aint’ gonna work, buddy. If you go to your Kona Utilities folder, and select the AJA Kona System Test, you can determine the speed of your drives, and report back this info, and I will tell you what you can and cannot do with your system.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

How about convincing them to buy a nice Blackmagic Decklink Extreme, which will do everything.

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

Here is where you are off target (and you are correct in your observations) –
Mr. Roberts observes cameras that have been around for a while (like the last 2-3 years), and can’t understand what’s all this HDMI about ? Mr. Roberts, like most of the world, can’t deal with the reality that everything you own is outdated constantly. Every TV station in the U-S of A wants a Beta tape delivery, but Sony has discontinued Beta VTR’s, and we are all realizing that Beta is a dead format – but there are MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE that want to build NEW systems specifically for mastering in Beta. These people are asleep (typical response is “what are you talking about – every station is asking for a Beta”).

Bob Zelin

[Bob Zelin]

what word do you want Adam –
the Matrox MXO takes the DVI output of the MAC, and gives you multiple outputs for video and audio, but it is not a capture device. The Intensity is currently the only HDMI capture product on the market, and will work wonderfully to take the output of the HVRM-25U and bring it into the Blackmagic system, without all the nonsense of working in HDV. Select Blackmagic uncompressed HD, or DVCProHD, and work with real codecs, and have the MXO spit it out onto your monitors.

Besides, the price of the Intensity card is probably less than your consulting fee – so what the hell – give it a try !

Bob Zelin